No Such Luck

As some of you know, over the last 4 or 5 months, i have been trying to take my cigar hobby to a new level, by actually entering into the industry. I contacted many cigar companies about becoming a rep (salesmen) for their brands, and actually went to 2 different interviews with 2 amazing companies! This would be an absolute dream job for me, i would get to visit different shops in the neighboring states, promoting the brand, setting up cigar tastings and things of that nature.

My first interview was with Alec Bradley cigars, and i think it was a fantastic interview. It was very friendly and more like sitting down with a fellow cigar lover to discuss the job and the industry. My second interview was with Oliva Cigars, and was definitely a more professional interview. The nice thing about the Oliva interview was that it was in a cigar lounge and i got to smoke their cigars during the interview, which made it very comfortable. The Oliva interview was a bit more intimidating, as there were two people conducting the interview and many people interviewing for the position. I left both of the interviews very happy with how i answered the questions and how i presented myself.

I found out before the holidays that Oliva hired someone else for the position, and yes, i was bummed. Yesterday i found out that Alec Bradley was very happy with me as a candidate for the job and liked what i had to offer, but with the struggling economy it turned out that they couldnt pull the trigger on hiring someone new at the current time. Needless to say this was hard news to get, but i understand with everything going in the business world today. At least it sounds like i would have gotten the job if they could actually hire somebody for it.

It looks like i will not be entering the world of cigars on a business level, unless something changes and i get a phone call from Alec Bradley in the next few months (im not holding my breath). Ive exhausted my search for a rep job and i guess its time to move onto something new. I would have loved to work for either of these companies, both would have been very similar jobs doing something i love, but i guess it just wasnt in my cards.